Draft attachment for vehicles



Y 2 vSheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.) H. BARBER.

DRAFT ATTACHMENT EUR VEHICLES.

Patented Sept. 2o, 1892.

NL, y

l No. 482,97

.2v sheets-sheet. 2.

' (No Model.)

H. BARBER. DRAFT ATTACHMENT PoR VEHICLES.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HIRAM BARBER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRAFT ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 492,973, datedSeptember 20, 1892.

Application fled March 7, 1890. Serial No. 343,014. (No model.)

To all whom. it may concern.;

Be it known that I, HIRAM BARBER, of Chicago, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois, have invented an Improvementin Draft Attachments forVehicles, of Which the following is a specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of the preferable form of myspring-draft attachment and tongue-support herein described. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal vertical sectional view of the preferable form of myspring-draft attachment and tongue-support herein described on thedotted line 1 l. Fig. 3 is a View in perspective of the head or bearingblock, the engaging-shank thereof, and of the bolt holding the head orbearing block in place in the preferable form of my spring-draftattachment. Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of the evener-plate in myspring-draft attachment herein described. Fig. 5 is a plan view of amodified form of my spring-draft attachment and tongue-support hereindescribed. Fig. 6 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of themodified form of my spring-draft attachment and tongue-support hereindescribed on the line 2 2. Fig. 7 is a view in perspective of a head orbearing block and the engaging shank thereof and which is designed foruse in either form of my spring-draft attachment herein described. Fig.8 is a view in perspective of the bolt for holding the head or bearingblock in the modified form of my spring-draft attachment hereindescribed.

In Fig. 1 the letters p, B, D, D, Y, and T indicate, respectively, thebottom plate, forward buffer, ears, rear casing, and top bar forming thecase or frame, and the letters S, R, W, U, Q, and E the evener-spring,the tongue-support spring, evener-plate, clevischain, and evener in myspring-draft attachment and tongue-support.

In Fig. 2 the letters; 0 b r indicate, respectively, the slot in thebottom plate p, the slot in the side wall of the casing Y, theclevisbolt, and core-block in my spring-draft attachment and ton gue-support, and the letterV the lug on the upper surface of the easing Y.

In Fig. 3 the letters H, fn, m, and K are used to indicate,respectively, the cylindrical section, neck, upright plate, and shank ofthe head or bearing block; o, the vertical recess therein, and X thebolt holding the same in thereby, while a is used to indicate the cham-Y ber in the cylindrical section, and s and 71, are used to indicate,respectively, the stem and head of the bolt X.

In Fig. 4 the letters Z,'Z, and g are used to designate the lugsprojected from and the vertical groove in the front face of theevenerplate W'.

In Figs. 5 and 6 the letters 'I" and j are used to designate the top barand the longitudinal slot therein in the modified form of myspring-draft attachment.

In Figs. 6 and 8 the letter X is used to designate the bolt holding thehead or bearing block in place, the upper section of the stem of whichbolt operates in the slot j in the modified form of my spring-draftattachment.

In Fig. 3 the head or bearing block is designated by the'letter F and inFig. 7 by the letter Z. Y

The purpose of my invention is to securea yielding connection betweenthe point of draft upon a wagon or other vehicle and the draft-animal.Such a connection is calculated to promote the ease and comfort of thedraftanimal. It is a great assistance in starting heavy loads and alsotakes off the shock or concussion on the shoulder of the animalwhen theWagon or vehicle is passing over rough or uneven roads.

My invention belongs to a class in which a coil-sprin gis compressed infront of an evener or doubletree, as shown in Patents No. 370,009, datedSeptember 13, 1887; No. 411,851, dated October 1, 1889, and No. 415,318,dated Novembex-19, 1889. is about ten (10) inches in length and two (2)inches in diameter. Experience has shown these to be the properdimensions in order to secure the necessary amount of compression. Whenin position, the evener and springs are held in a metallic case orframe, the forward end of the case or frame forming a chamber in whichthe forward end of the spring is held and into which the spring isdriven and compressed by the forward movement of the evener. A head orbearing block provided with a shank extending forward from the front Thepreferable size of the spring y IOO face thereof into the core of thespring is placed between the rear end'of the springand end wall of thecase or frame.

the front face of the evener.

In the devices heretofore in use several practical difficulties havebeen encountered. When the spring is weak, the shank of the head orbearing block is liable to be driven against the rear face of theforward end wall of the case or frame. sioned renders the lnachine apositive disadvantage to the draft-animal. If the shank be shortened toobviate this difficulty, the spring is liable to buckle. When the eveneris held in position in the case or frame by an evenerbolt, this bolt isin the way or liable to be lost when the evener is used in detachedservice. 'When the evener is held in place by engaging lugs projectedfrom the rear face of the evener-plate, the evener is given too muchthrash or freedom of movement in the case Y or frame. These lugs alsointerfere with the ready insertion or removal of the evener where thecase or frame opens at the top. j

In my spring-draft attachment herein de scribed I extend the shank ofthe head or bearing block forward through the coil-spring and through anopening prepared in the front I thus avoid all possibility of thebuckling of the springs, and by a proper adjustment of the length of thechamber in which the forward end of the spring is held the spring,however weak,will always constitute a cushion, against T which theforward face of the head or bearing block will be driven. Thisconstruction also aifords a higher degree of strength and security thanis formed when the forward end of the spring is heldin place only by theouter Walls of the forward end of the case or frame. The upper wall ofthe forward end of the case or frame may also be dispensed with, anyupward movement of the forward end of the spring being prevented by theshank of the head or bearing' block. The process of manufacture is alsorendered less diiicult.

I have sought also in my present device to simplify the method ofholding the evenerin place. To this end I attach to the front face ofthe evener, an evener-plate provided with a vertical groove on its frontface semicircular in cross-section and of sufficient width and depth toreceive and embrace the rear convex section of the head or bearing bleekfar enough to prevent any sliding or lateral movement of the double treeor evener when the same is in operation. The sides of the verticalgroove in the front face of the evener-plate are formed by twoforwardly` projecting lugs placed parallel with each other and madeintegral at the base thereof with the front face of the evener-plate.`

In construction the head or bearing block may be said to consist ofaperpendicular cy- The shock thus occaj jected from the center of thefront face of the upright plate and at right angles thereto. The rearconvex face of the head or bearing block is made to conform to thevertical groove in the evener-plate and the lugs projected from the facethereof. The neck uniting the cylindrical section of the head or bearingblock to the upright plate is of sufficient length to leave a verticalrecess between the upright plate and the cylindrical section on eachside of the head or bearing block for the reception of the outer ends ofthe lugs upon the evener-plate as the evener turns upon the -aXisof thecylindrical section of the head or bearing block. While the lugs arethus rendered safeguards against any undue lateral motion of the evener,they in no wise interfere with the ready insertion ofthe same into orremoval from the case or frame when the top bar is opened for thatpurpose. At the same time the evener-bolt is wholly dispensed with. Itcannot be doubted that I have thus greatly simplified the method ofholding the evener in place, diminished the number of parts, andincreased the strength and duray rear end easing, a front bracket orbulfer, two

upwardly-projecting ears, and a central longitudinal slot, and also atop bar. The rear casing is made integral with the rear end of thebottom plate,theforward end being open and the rear thereof closed. Thechamber thus formed is designed for the spring used to support thetongue in my spring-draft attachment, which spring is inserted intoV theopen front end of the casing and is compressed by means of a bolt andclevis, .the bolt being inserted in front of the spring and movingbackward in longitudinal slots in the side walls of the casing, whilethe clevis is attached to the frame of the wagon or vehicle by means ofa chain er rod. The tongue of the vehicle may thus lbe supported nearlyupon a level line and has freedom of motion downward to the extent ofthe compressibility of the spring. The rear casting also serves thepurpose of a buer, against which the rear face of the doubletree orevener is pressed by the backward movement of the head or bearing block.The forward end of the upper wall of the rear casing is provided with alug, to which the rear end of the top bar is keyed or hinged. Theforward end of the case or frame is formed by -an upwardlyprojectingbracket or buffer extending across and made integral with the forwardend of IIO the bottom plate, with a plain rear face perpendicular to theupper surface of the bottom plate. By the forward movement of the evenerthe forward end of the evener-spring is driven against the rear faceofthe bracket or buffer, while the shanky of the head or bearing blockoperates in an aperture provided therein, as already explained.A lAtaproper distance back from the rear face of the bracket or buffer-sayabout five inches-are located the upward-projecting' ears,'to which thefront end of the top bar is keyed orhinged, one on each outer uppermargin of the bottom plate, with which they are made integral at thebase. These ears extend above the evener-spring a sufficient distance toafford opportunity to key or hinge the front end of the top bar thereto.rIhe top bar is designed to prevent any upward movement of thehead-block or evener and is hinged or keyed at the ends, and the case orframe may thus be readily opened for the insertion or removal of theevener. The bottom plate of the case or frame is provided with a centrallongitudinal slot extending backward from the ears on the forward end ofthe plate nearly to the front end of the rear casing. In this slot thelower section of the stem of the bolt which holds the head or bearingblock in place has freedom of movement with the forward and backwardmotion of the head-block.

The bottom plate when in position is raised sufficiently from thesurface of the tongue of the wagon to permit the free movement of thehead of the bolt holding the headblock in place, and which head liesbeneath the under surface of the bottom plate. The bolt holding thehead-block in place is inserted from below through the slot in thebottom plate into a perpendicular chamber or aperture provided for theupper portion of the stem thereof in the head or bearing block. Theupper portion of the stem of this bolt when in place is securelyfastened by a rivet passing horizontally through the stem andcylindrical section of the head or bearing block. The head of this bolt,lying beneath the bottom plate and being wider than the slot therein, iseffectual to prevent any upward movement of the head or bearing block.When it may be desirable to prevent any lateral movement of thehead-block, the same may be provided with ears or upwardly-extendingprojections upon the outer margins of the upper face thereof, with asufficient space between the same for the introduction and movement ofthe lower` margin of the top bar when the same is made solid. The topbar will thus be a guide to the head or bearing block and effectuallyprevent any lateral movement of the same. The same result may beobtained by constructing the top bar with a central longitudinal slottherein and ex tending the stern of the bolt up through 4the head orbearing block a sufficient distance. When, therefore, the several partsof my spring-draft attachment are in position, forward draft or pressureupon the evener drives the front face of the head or bearing blockagainst the rear end of the evener-spring and compresses the same uponthe shank of the head or bearing block and against the rear face of theforward bracket orbuffer, and thus a yielding connection is securedbetween the draft-anmal and the fixed point of draft upon the wagon orother vehicle. I iind there is great advantage in combining theevenerspring and tongue-support. There is economy in this construction.The rear casing,1n which the spring which supports the tongue is held,furnishes also a solid rear buffer for the evener, as 'well as a firmpoint to which to key or hinge the rear end of the top bar. At the sametime the tongue-support increases the advantages derived from theyielding connection furnished by the evener-spring by taking off thedownward pressure of the tongue upon the neck of the draft-animal and byreducing the thrash of the tongue to the minimum.

Having explained the purpose, method of construction, and the operationof my springdraft attachment, what I claim as novel and of my invention,and for whichI seek Letters Patent, is-- l. In a spring-draftattachment, the combi- 'nation of a slotted plate securely attached tothe tongue of a Wagon and provided with a perforated bracket or buffermade integral with the upper surface of the forward end thereof andhaving its rear face perpendicular to and at right angles with thecentral longitudinal line of such plate, a coil-spring, a head orbearing block provided with a convex rear face and also with an engagingshank projected from its front face and passing through the coil-springand into the aperture in the perforated buffer or bracket and 1n whichcoilspring and aperture such shank has freedom of movement and whichhead or bearing block has also freedom of movement on the upper surfaceof such plate while securely attached thereto by means of a bolt thestem of which is inserted from belo'vi1 through the slot in such plateup into the cylindrical section of such head or bearing block, and anevener provided with avertical groove in the front face thereof tocorrespond with the convexity of the rear face of such head or bearingblock, allarranged or combined substantially as described.

2. In a spring-draft attachment, the combination of the slotted plate p,attached to the tongue of a wagon, the perforated buffer B, thecoilspring S, the cylindrical chambered head H and its shank K, the boltX, and the evener and evener-plate W, having a concave groove g, inwhich the head H fits, substantially as specified.

3. In a spring-draft attachment, the combination of the slotted plate p,provided with ears D D, the perforated buffer B, the casing Y, havingthe lug V on the upper surface thereof and al1 made integral with theupper surface of such plate, the coil-spring S, the cylindrical head orbearing block H, provided with a shank K, the bolt X, the evener-plateW, provided with a concavey recess for the block H, the evener E, andtop bar T, all arranged and combined substantially as set forth.

4. In a spring-draft attachment, the comb1- IOO IIO

'nation of the slotted plate p, attached to the r'tongue of a wagon and-provided with the ears D D, the perforated buffer B, and the casing Y,having the lug V on the upper surface 5 andthe slots O O in the sideWalls thereof, the Coil-spring S, the head or bearing block F, providedwith the shank K and the ears e e, the bolt X, the evener-plate W, theevener E, the top bar T, the spring R, the devis-bolt b, the @levis U,and chain Q, attachedto the 1o frame of the Wagon,l all arranged andcombined substantially as specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 3d day of March, A.D. 1890.

HIRAM BARBER. In presence of- TIMOTHY D. HURLEY, BARBARA SCHOTTLER.

